by Dale Brown
be no higher than that implemented by DEFCON Three. Stand by." A few
moments later, a warbling tone was heard over Tyler's headset and
through the interphone system. The DEFCON lights above the big board
changed from "4" to "3" and all of the Command Center status lights
changed to red Top Secret indications. The Joint Chiefs of Staff
communications center had assembled a coded message and broadcast it to
all of the major commands. When received in the Essential Elements
section, the message was decoded, checked, and the checklist for that
order run immediately. "What do we got, Audrey?" Tyler asked. "DEFCON
Three, posture three, " the SAC senior controller replied. "No A-hour
specified. Time-control clock start in five... four... three... two...
one... now." Just then, the second event-timer above the big board
started counting. "Message acknowledged to JCS, checked and verified,
standing by for retransmit."
"Retransmit, " Tyler ordered. The message ordering an increased state
of readiness would now be sent to all SAC alert units in the United
States. The DEFCON change would also affect nuclear-capable Tactical
Air Command units in Europe and Asia, all of the Navy's ballistic
missile submarines, and the Sixth and Eighth Armies in Europe and Korea,
which were some of the few Army units with deployed nuclear weapons.
After acknowledgment messages were received from all the major military
commands, General Curtis said to the poll participators: "I will convene
a Charlie conference as soon as possible. Have a breakdown of the
pre-planned options for this contingency, along with your further
recommendations. RENEGADE out." The connection was then terminated. "So
what do we do now?" Stone asked. "Run the checklists, " Tyler said.
"It's not unlike flying a fighter-we follow the checklist and it
generally keeps us out of trouble." A yellow light flashed on the
telephone beside Tyler. "Well, here we go." He sighed. Before he
picked up the phone, he turned and requested that iced tea be brought
for him and Stone. "This is going to take awhile, " he predicted. "We
do it a little bass-ackwards, but it usually works. "Curtis does a
Charlie conference to direct each service branch to review the
pre-planned contingency OPLANS, and the JCS decides which one to run.
Then Curtis'll go to the President and SECDEF face-to-face and make his
pitch. The President usually signs off on the plan just to get the ball
rolling-then, when his Cabinet, the Congress, and the press find out,
shit hits the fan. But that's not our concern."
"Where do you need me?" Stone asked. "Right with me, Rat Killer, "
Tyler replied. "You're my resident Philippine expert. We built a new
Philippine contingency plan when Clark closed, but I'll need you to look
it over, tell me if it's still valid in the face of what the Chinese
have out there."
"I'm ready, " Stone said. "Is there any time to get out of these
sweats, though? I'm not sure the staff will be able to work closely
with me if I stink like an old pair of sneakers."
"Don't worry about it, " Tyler said, a grim smile on his face. "Before
long, everyone here will be just as nervous and sweaty as you are-except
it won't be from exercise, it'll be from good ol' fear." THE MALACANANG
PRESIDENTIAL PALACE MANILA, THE PHILIPPINES SAME TIME Philippine First
Vice President Daniel Teguina paced restlessly as he, the Second Vice
President Samar, and the Cabinet awaited the arrival of President Mikaso
in the presidential conference chamber. Everyone was tense and worried.
A few were terrified. All had rushed to the presidential palace
immediately after being advised of the disaster in Palawan. Finally,
President Arturo Mikaso entered the conference chamber. Unlike the
others gathered, who were dressed casually, Mikaso was in a dark-gray
business suit, polished shoes, and a tie. His appearance was so crisp
that a few wondered silently if he hadn't just dressed. "Gentlemen..."
Mikaso said, his old body moving as quickly as it could into the room.
"Please take your seats." The elder statesman stiffly took his at the
center of the oblong maple conference table and the other Cabinet
members immediately sat down. "As you know, a terrible tragedy has
occurred, " Mikaso began. "Less than thirty minutes ago, a patrol task
force from this country was attacked by a large Chinese naval patrol off
the coast of Palawan." The Cabinet members exchanged looks of complete
shock. They'd been advised of a major sea disaster, but given no
details. Murmurs went around the room. Teguina immediately spoke up. "A
Chinese naval patrol? Judging by the state of our naval force, I assume
we were beaten badly?" Mikaso nodded sadly. "We were indeed. We've
suffered serious losses-"
"Naturally, " Teguina interrupted. "What do we have to fight with?
Outdated, expensive, useless American equipment that we were suckered
into buying." Mikaso glared at Teguina. "Daniel, now is hardly the time
for editorializing. There are far more serious considerations at hand."
Mikaso looked at the men gathered in the room and said, "Gentlemen, the
worst part of this confrontation, which involved two of our F-4E
fighters, was that the Chinese launched a nuclear missile against our
force." Gasps went around the table, followed by immediate cries of
outrage which echoed off the walls of the conference room. Everyone was
talking at once until Mikaso rapped his knuckles on the table. "This
has not been confirmed by us yet, " Mikaso said, "but the detonation was
detected by American and Japanese monitoring stations." Again everyone
started talking at once, their voices reaching a crescendo of questions
of concern: What about the fallout? The food and water supplies? How
could the Chinese have justified a nuclear-tipped missile? Did it mean
this was a prelude to a full-scale invasion? Question piled upon
question. Mikaso tried to calm them down. "We have no definite reports
of an invasion, " Mikaso said, "although the Chinese warships are in
Ulugan Bay on Palawan, being guarded by our Army."
"But how did this happen?" demanded Second Vice President J~~e Samar.
"Civilized nations don't just set off nukes!" Mikaso nodded in
agreement. "One would think. However, this was a battle between our
forces and theirs. They ventured into the neutral zone, were going to
attack a drilling platform, and we opened fire."
"What was a drilling platform doing there anyway?" Teguina asked, even
though he knew. "Those islands are not for exploration or drilling. The
Chinese have long considered that their territory, even though we don't.
Why were we provoking the Chinese?"
"We weren't, " Mikaso said pointedly. "Exploration is allowed within ten
miles of the boundaries of the zone, Daniel. Learn your treaties. If
you did, you'd know that the Spratly Island agreement not only allows
that, but also prohibits a deadly force to patrol the zone. Armed
warships must stay on their own side. We've seen how the Chinese
violated that in the past-the previous incide
nt was just a few months
ago. I authorized our forces to protect themselves if the Chinese
prepared to attack again, and that's what they did." Teguina shook his
head. "Why don't you tell them who we were really protecting? Unless
I'm mistaken, it was an A American-financed company who erected the oil
platforms in the zone to begin with." He looked directly at Mikaso: "A
company, I believe, Mr. President, run by one of your relatives?" More
murmurs went around the room. "That is beside the point. It's a
Philippine company and they had every right to explore the island and
the resources on it." The two men stared at each other. "What about
fallout?" another Cabinet member demanded. Mikaso nodded. "That is
our first priority. Daniel, you will immediately dispatch National
Guard forces to Palawan to assist in the recovery efforts. In fact, I
think the people of Palawan would appreciate seeing you there to help in
the effort. Use all available transport assets and-" Teguina pushed
back his chair and stood up, something he usually did in Cabinet
meetings to stress a point. He leaned over the table, looking at the
others seated. "I will be honored to help our fellow Filipinos in
Palawan, but there's one point we've dismissed too easily: who really
launched that missile?" Rumbling went around the table, and Mikaso
pointed his finger at Teguina: "Daniel, I don't know what you're up to,
but it's not going to work. I resent the dissension you're trying to
create in the middle of a crisis. It-"
"Yes, sit down!" Second Vice President Samar said. Teguina ignored
them. "You say that the Chinese are at fault, but what you really meant
to say is that it's not known who's to blame for the attack. That
nuclear explosion could have just as easily been caused by an American
nuclear device, either delivered by covert American forces or by
Filipino airmen under orders by the American military or Central
Intelligence Agency-"
"What are you talking about, Teguina?" Mikaso snapped angrily, his
hands and lips trembling as much from confusion and exhaustion as from
fury. "Are you that paranoid? There aren't any nuclear weapons on
Filipino soil, no American airmen, and we did not launch any sort of
nuclear attack. It was a Filipino vessel that was destroyed, for God's
sake!"
"Do you deny that there are still American Intelligence agents here in
the Philippines?" Teguina asked, his eyes darting between Mikaso and
Samar. Mikaso hesitated-only for a moment, but the pause was the answer.
The Cabinet officers looked at each other, then at Mikaso with
undisguised shock. "Then it is true?" one of the Cabinet officers
gasped. "The American consulate is still open, " Mikaso explained,
trying hard to ignore the accusing glances, "and yes, I gave permission
for several CIA officials to be stationed here."
"No, Mr. President... "This is outrageous . . . Samar said. Teguina
couldn't believe it-he had stumbled onto something that at least for the
moment overshadowed even the nuclear explosion in Palawan. The American
CIA had long been blamed for the Philippines' internal turmoil, and
Mikaso's admission could, even after all American military personnel had
left the country, eventually bring down Mikaso's government. A common
fear among the newly "liberated" Philippine government was that America
would leave "moles" in place who would report to Washington and who
could easily take over the Filipino government and realign with Washing
ton in a coup. The Americans had left easily when ordered out-too
easily, many thought. . "You did this in direct violation of the law,
without consulting your Cabinet or Congress?" the Minister of the
Interior asked incredulously. "Why weren't we informed?" another
Minister demanded angrily. As the chorus of other voices rose up in
angry protest, Daniel Teguina sat back down in his chair, listening and
inwardly smiling. Even in the middle of a crisis there was more than one
way to skin a cat. . ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, SOUTH DAKOTA SAME TIME
Generals Calvin Jarrel and Brad Elliott had been waiting on the tarmac
for the F-23 fighter pilots returning from their Powder Run sortie.
Elliott especially was looking forward to giving the pilots some
good-natured ribbing about the surprise they encountered with the EB-52
Megafortress that he'd gotten Jarrel to put in the air. Elliott was
willing to bet that McLanahan had gotten a big kick out of seeing the
F-23 pilots turn and run. Just then a dark-blue staff car pulled up a
few parking spaces from where Jarrel and Elliott were standing. Out of
the car came Major Harold Briggs, General Elliott's aide and chief of
security. Plugging his ears with his index fingers, he strode toward
Elliott clutching a sheet of paper. He handed it to him. Elliott read
the note, and Briggs saw the expression on his boss's face change. "I'll
take you back in my car, General, " Briggs said loudly over the whine of
the nearby jet engines. "Problem?" Jarrel asked. Elliott showed Jarrel
the note, keeping the sheet of paper tight in his fingertips-it was
stamped Top Secret on both the top and bottom. "Christ, " was all Jarrel
could say. "I'll give you a ride back to your command post, " Elliott
said. They hopped in the sedan the second Briggs braked to a stop beside
them. In the car, Briggs passed out two red-colored vinyl folders, one
to each of them. "Full text of the classified FLASH message for you,
sir, " he indicated to Jarrel. "Message from Colonel McLanahan from the
Black Knight bomber sortie." Elliott frowned at the folder he was given
and was about to set it unopened on his lap, but Briggs added, "I think
you should read it, sir. I think it might have a connection with the
DEFCON Three message. There was silence in the sedan for several
moments. Then, as though they were thinking the exact same thing, they
handed their folders over to each other. "Holy shit, " Jarrel finally
exclaimed. "This NIRTSat thingyour SPO actually thinks this satellite
got pictures of a Chinese nuclear attack against a Philippine patrol?"
"Well, God knows it was possible, " Elliott said. "If they had the
N1RTSat up there, and it was over the Philippines at the time, it's more
than possible. That might also explain why the satellite went off the
air for McLanahan. Except it didn't go completely off... the thing was
alive long enough to download the last of its photos to McLanahan in the
B-2 during his bomb run here."
"But McLanahan says here the data wasn't transmitted to SPACECOM..."
"Space Command wasn't one of the users, " Elliott said. "They provided
launch and orbiting monitoring and had backup-performance telemetry but
weren't scheduled to receive the imagery." Elliott paused for a moment,
then said, "You know, Cal, if you're in DEFCON Three... "Yeah?" Elliott
knew that if Jarrel was going to be in a conventional contingency
operation, which was very possible, he would be deploying, as priority
one, the Air Battle Force. "Well, I think we've got the ultimate
mission-planning tool in the world avail
able for you if you want it. All
we need to do is hook you up with Jon Masters and his NIRTSat boosters,
and you can build mission packages for the STRATFOR so detailed that
you'd think someone already flew the mission."
"Maybe not, " Jarrel said, motioning to the message from McLanahan.
"Your SPO says that SPACECOM will deorbit the NIRTSat. SPACECOM didn't
know about the nuke-they thought it had malfunctioned." "Hal, step on
it, " Elliott told Briggs. "We need to get to the command post five
minutes ago."
"Got you covered, sir, " Briggs said. He tossed a pocket-sized cellular
telephone into the backseat. "I wasn't cleared to peek at General
Jarrel's message, but I was cleared to peek at yours. When I read the
thing about Space Command, I ordered a direct scrambled call to General
Talbot at Falcon Air Force Base. He should be calling back any minute."
True to his word, the phone rang just as Briggs pulled up to the steel
and glass headquarters building, so Elliott sat in the car and took the
scrambled telephone call from there. A gruff, impatient voice answered,
"NORAD, General Talbot, " then added with even greater brusqueness,
"Make it quick."
"Mike, this is Brad Elliott calling from Ellsworth. How the hell are
you?"
"Fine, Brad, just fine. Listen, Brad, can this call wait? I'm up to my
ears in 'gators right now." Brad Elliott knew that was the
understatement of the year. Air Force General Michael Talbot had one of
the most unusual military jobs in the world: he was a "triple hat, "
commander of three major military organizations all at the same time.
Because the Air Force was the lead agency in space-related matters,
Talbot, as commander of the Air Force Space Command, was also commander
of the United States Space Command, the new specified military command
that directed all military space functions and coordinated all
space-related activities for the three services; and because Space
Command was the United States' agency in charge of space defense, Talbot
was also the current commander of the North American Aerospace Defense
